Author Archive

Frame is quickly making a name for herself as an expert in love songs. She exclaims, “There’s a lot of ways for one to suffer / You’re my only other / Second ain’t a bad number.” Clearly she’s conflicted about something here, but we’re certainly not conflicted about her music. “Only Other” is an honest depiction of someone who has to make a terribly easy decision—but is it really that easy? “Is it fair if I don’t know the cost? / There’s a lot of time for us to wonder / You’re my only other / Second ain’t a bad number.”

Bobby Tank makes beautiful, thick, mad maximalist electrofunk tunes that will energize any listener. On “Learn From You,” a ridiculously fat and punchy kick sits comfortably among warm synth stabs and some aqueous popping to add colorful effect. They’re accompanied by a brief soulful snippet. All together, this is a ridiculous tune that deserves to be listened to at full volume.

Seattle rockers Crater may be babies to the scene, but they are most definitely not stillborn. They have one song out on SoundCloud. Who’s singing? No clue (I think her name is Cici, but as of now it’s unclear). What we do know is that her voice is incredible. Thanks to some reverb and echo, it’s portrayed as angelic. At the same time, though, it’s void of impurities and mixed with the right amount of crunchiness to match the grunginess of the guitar, bass, and overall industrial feel of the tune. Speaking of which, the guitar and bass perfectly fill the empty soundscape, providing an overwhelming wall of ethereal harmonies, somewhat reminiscent of early Wye Oak. As the two slur from octave to octave, and at other times note to note, they provide a pendulum effect, hypnotizing the listener.

Electronic beats fashioned out of 8-bit microprocessors, a variety of synths tones, and found samples. Spoken word samples like those on “anthropomorphic moon landing” sometimes came through our bodies while holding parasitic elements of a circuit. We see these events as a kind of communication originating from the silence that surrounds us in a place where nothing is ever silent.

They’re at times chaotic, playful, and creative, and their melodies are unbelievably catchy. ”picnic on Makemake” is one of the record’s standouts.

Recording under the moniker Ides, Alanna McArdle is insightful to say the least. Her newest effort, “Machine,” is as beautiful as it is somber. The song features a seemingly lackadaisical guitar riff intermittently polluted by various effects and vocal harmonies. A closer listen, however, reveals perfectly complimentary moments of delicate embellishment. Her lyrics, “I am stone / a wall outside of its home / and I don’t believe in anything anymore,” lend themselves to the simplistic nature of the tune as a whole, allowing you to lose yourself in thought rather than being hyper-stimulated by a bombardment of complex textures.

Cataclysmic in its size and pensive in its approach, JLYY‘s inaugural “Glass Drum” will strike a chord with harmonic rock enthusiasts everywhere. I would not, however, position this tune as only for distortion heads. There are some undoubtedly dark and beachy vibes at work here that make me both concerned and relaxed. It’s an interesting dichotomy that instantly drew me to the tune in the first place. This is also the only JLYY song on the market, so I’m interested to hear what else they can conjure up and in what direction they choose to move.

Check out the video for the song below, and download it from their SoundCloud.

Oh man, did I ever need this tune—”Forfeit” is delicate and soulful. Gallant sucks you in with his angelic falsetto, then sways you back and forth. You’re caught between the ebbs and flows of a gentile and powerful tide. It’s best just to zone out and vibe out, letting the melody and rhythm overpower and overwhelm your sensitive senses. The tune ends before you know it, and it’s also way before you’re ready to say goodbye.

Let’s first point out the obvious here. Eva Stone, or, if she goes by her real name, Amy Holford, can fucking sing. I mean, she’s got a unique set of pipes. On top of that, she has fluid fingers for her piano and guitar prowess.

Now, the more intangible things—the thing with this girl is passion. The thing with this girl is soul. The thing with this girl is musicianship. The thing with this girl is that I think I may love her. I feel her pain. He’s gone, she’s all alone, bearing her soul for the listener to grab and wring for their delight. She’s as vulnerable as she’ll ever get. It’s beautiful.